Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Jul 2022 Closed: 12 Apr 2023 Parliament page
The Government promised an increase in grassroots sport participation as part of the long-term legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Initiatives such as Sport England’s £135 million ‘People Places Play’ programme were set up to improve local facilities, train local sports leaders, and encourage adults to try … Read more
12 Recommendations
18 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 4 events
12 Apr
2023
Report published
7 Feb
2023
Correspondence
8 Jan
2023
Report published
31 Oct
2022
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
31 Oct 2022
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Grassroot participation in sport and physical activity
Ben Dean · Department for Culture, Media and Sport Nick Pontefract · Sport England Sarah Healey · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Tim Hollingsworth OBE · Sport England
Recommendations & Conclusions
30 results
2 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England’s focus on local initiatives and encouraging those who are least active to take...
Sport England’s focus on local initiatives and encouraging those who are least active to take part has not yet resulted in meaningful change in national participation rates. The government’s 2015 strategy for an active nation committed to focusing on those … Read more
HM Treasury
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3 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
The Department has not yet set out how it will determine whether its efforts to...
The Department has not yet set out how it will determine whether its efforts to tackle persistent inactivity levels are a success. The cost-of-living crisis risks further 6 Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity reductions in activity as households … Read more
HM Treasury
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4 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England has not yet translated its understanding of the barriers to participation into action...
Sport England has not yet translated its understanding of the barriers to participation into action to enable inactive groups to participate in sport and physical activity. Sport England recognises three key requirements to get inactive groups to participate: motivation, confidence … Read more
HM Treasury
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5 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
It is unacceptable that Sport England does not know where in the country its grants...
It is unacceptable that Sport England does not know where in the country its grants are spent or whether these are genuinely helping those most in need. Sport England distributed £1.5 billion in grants in the five years starting 2016–17, … Read more
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
The Department’s approach to working in partnership with other organisations to encourage people to take...
The Department’s approach to working in partnership with other organisations to encourage people to take part in sport and physical activity is not yet effective. The Department recognises the importance of working with a variety of government departments, local organisations … Read more
HM Treasury
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7 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
The Department does not know if leisure facilities are financially sustainable or are delivering the...
The Department does not know if leisure facilities are financially sustainable or are delivering the sports facilities that communities need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sport England and the Department distributed over £900 million to support sports clubs and leisure centres. … Read more
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (the Department) and Sport England on their efforts to increase the population’s levels of physical activity.1
HM Treasury
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8 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Prior to the pandemic, between November 2016 and November 2019, the percentage of adults who...
Prior to the pandemic, between November 2016 and November 2019, the percentage of adults who were active increased by 1.2 percentage points, from 62.1% to 63.3%. Participation rates then fell to 61.4% in the year to November 2021, the lowest … Read more
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
In 2015, the Department published a new cross-government sporting strategy, Sporting Future.
In 2015, the Department published a new cross-government sporting strategy, Sporting Future. The strategy promised to target funding at less active groups of the population, believing this would deliver the biggest gains for public spending.13 Sport England told us that, … Read more
HM Treasury
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10 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
We asked Sport England why there had only been a modest increase in participation between...
We asked Sport England why there had only been a modest increase in participation between 2016 and 2019. Sport England said it felt this was actually a meaningful increase because physical activity is an inconsistent, discretionary part of people’s lives. … Read more
HM Treasury
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11 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Under its previous strategy, Sport England agreed with the Department three numeric targets to increase...
Under its previous strategy, Sport England agreed with the Department three numeric targets to increase activity levels among women, lower socio-economic groups and the population as a whole.16 As part of its 2021 Strategy, published in January 2021, it committed … Read more
HM Treasury
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12 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
The Department plans to publish a new strategy to replace Sporting Future, which will include...
The Department plans to publish a new strategy to replace Sporting Future, which will include as a priority greater joining up between government departments and the wider sector. The Department originally intended to publish this in Summer 2022.19 We therefore … Read more
HM Treasury
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13 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
We asked the Department for details about its new strategy and how it planned to...
We asked the Department for details about its new strategy and how it planned to ensure that the strategy would spark activity. The Department provided little concrete detail, only revealing that its new strategy would have the same overall aim … Read more
HM Treasury
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14 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
We received written evidence from the Local Government Association which highlighted concerns that the cost-of-living...
We received written evidence from the Local Government Association which highlighted concerns that the cost-of-living crisis will adversely affect the participation rates of more deprived communities and rural communities.22 Written evidence we received from the Lawn Tennis Association also told … Read more
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England’s 2016–2021 strategy, Towards an Active Nation, aimed to understand and address the barriers...
Sport England’s 2016–2021 strategy, Towards an Active Nation, aimed to understand and address the barriers to activity for the least active by working with a broader range of partners and encouraging local collaboration. Sport England pledged £250 million, or 25% … Read more
HM Treasury
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16 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England’s research has shown that certain groups have tended to be less active, such...
Sport England’s research has shown that certain groups have tended to be less active, such as women, disabled people and those in lower socio-economic groups. It agreed targets with the Department to increase activity levels between 2016 and 2020 for … Read more
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
We questioned Sport England on the limited progress in increasing activity levels among women aged...
We questioned Sport England on the limited progress in increasing activity levels among women aged 16–60. Sport England acknowledged that the figure was low but told us that it had a significant programme of activity had lined up for the … Read more
HM Treasury
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18 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England did not have a target for other less active groups, such as the...
Sport England did not have a target for other less active groups, such as the over-75s, disabled people or those in Black or Asian ethnic groups. Prior to the pandemic, between November 2016 and November 2019, activity levels among the … Read more
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
We asked Sport England how it can spark activity among the least active.
We asked Sport England how it can spark activity among the least active. It told us the answer was a combination of three key characteristics: motivation, confidence and opportunity. It noted that in the past government had over-relied on opportunity … Read more
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England sought to rebalance its grant funding towards the inactive in line with the...
Sport England sought to rebalance its grant funding towards the inactive in line with the objectives of its 2016–2021 strategy. Sport England distributed £1.5 billion in grants in the five years starting 2016–17, supporting a range of organisations from National … Read more
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
National Audit Office (NAO) analysis of the grants issued at local level showed the share...
National Audit Office (NAO) analysis of the grants issued at local level showed the share received by the most deprived quintile of local authorities fell from 40% in the five years before the 2016 strategy to 34% in the five … Read more
HM Treasury
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22 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England told us the changes in distribution of spending reported by the NAO was...
Sport England told us the changes in distribution of spending reported by the NAO was due to where some of the national organisations were based rather than where the funding then goes on to be received. It explained that some … Read more
HM Treasury
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23 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
The Department told us that it had invested significantly to build and upgrade sport facilities...
The Department told us that it had invested significantly to build and upgrade sport facilities in locations hosting major sporting events, such as the Olympic Stadium in Stratford and the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in the West Midlands. Using the NAO’s … Read more
HM Treasury
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24 Recommendation
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
While the Department plays the lead role in increasing physical activity, it told us other...
While the Department plays the lead role in increasing physical activity, it told us other government bodies also have responsibilities in this area: the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities leads on local sports facilities and leisure centres; the … Read more
HM Treasury
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25 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
The NAO found that there were signs that system-wide collaboration on sport and physical activity...
The NAO found that there were signs that system-wide collaboration on sport and physical activity may be increasing following the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the Department was seeking to build on this increased collaboration.39 The Department said its new strategy … Read more
HM Treasury
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26 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England increased the number of organisations that it awarded grant funding by six-fold in...
Sport England increased the number of organisations that it awarded grant funding by six-fold in 2020–21 compared to 2019–20, from 1,666 to 9,538. We asked Sport England how increasing the number of grant recipients will help improve participation in sport … Read more
HM Treasury
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27 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
We pressed the Department and Sport England on how they were working with businesses and...
We pressed the Department and Sport England on how they were working with businesses and other organisations to incentivise them to engage with increasing participation and activity rates, such as making sports equipment available in the workplace, or introducing a … Read more
HM Treasury
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28 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
As part of measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic, sports facilities were closed multiple times...
As part of measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic, sports facilities were closed multiple times by the government. During the pandemic, Sport England distributed £271 million to the grassroots sport and physical activity in financial support and the Department provided … Read more
HM Treasury
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29 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
Sport England told us that lots of sports facilities providers had used their organisational reserves...
Sport England told us that lots of sports facilities providers had used their organisational reserves to stay afloat during the pandemic and were now in a precarious financial position. The Department also recognised that “many clubs are coming out of … Read more
HM Treasury
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30 Conclusion
Thirty-Second Report - Grassroots …
We therefore asked the Department how it intended to address the short-term and long-term sustainability...
We therefore asked the Department how it intended to address the short-term and long-term sustainability challenges facing sports clubs and facilities. The Department told us that the primary responsibility for leisure provisions sits with local government.55 Similarly, it said that … Read more
HM Treasury
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Correspondence 1 letter
7 Feb 2023 Correspondence from Neil Cameron, Founder & Director, Sport Works, re response to 'Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity’, dated 31 January 2023
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